A man has been awarded £300 in compensation after claiming he felt ‘bullied and harrassed’ by a care provider.
The local government ombudsman investigated a complaint made against Wokingham borough council by the man, referred to as Mr X, about his mother, Mrs X.
Mr X said the council’s care provider, Optalis, initially agreed a rate for his mother’s care but then attempted to impose higher charges.
The man said he felt ‘bullied and harassed’ by correspondence from Optalis.
Wokingham borough council and Optalis agreed to honour the original fee quoted and has made a payment to the man for the frustration caused but denied any bullying.
Mrs X first went into a care home on respite placement in December 2023.
Optalis had only recently taken over the care home, which had previously been given a poor rating with the care quality comissioner.
While the home was not ready to accept more residents, it was agreed that Mrs X would be an emergency admission.
Mrs X became a self-funding permanent resident after selling her house in July 2024.
As power of attorney for his mother’s affairs, Mr X received an email in April 2024 saying there had been an error in the fees, and going forward it would be higher. But Mr X did not accept the new rate and complained to the care provider, claiming it was in breach of legal guidance.
According to the competition and markets authority, care providers must ensure that residents have ‘timely upfront information’ about the cost of permanent placements.
Mr X also complained that his mother felt ‘trapped’ in the new home, having settled in well there.
In May, the head of provider services wrote to Mr X and apologised for the error.
Another complaint was made about the communications from some of Optalis’ staff.
Mr X remained unhappy with the imposition of a fee which he could not agree to.
In June, the man complained to the ombudsman.
While the council acknowledged the matter had taken a long time to resolve, it denied there being any harassment or bullying in communications.
The council also agreed to honour the original quoted weekly rate.
The ombudsman’s report found the care provider was wrong to try and alter the fee rate without the proper advance information as required by regulations. This caused ‘some months of frustration, worry and inconvenience’ for the man, the watchdog ruled.
Wokingham borough council said Optalis is already taking steps to ensure its actions are in line with legal guidance.
A total of £300 was paid to Mr X in recognition of the time, trouble and frustration caused by the initial error as well as the delay in rectifying it.
